Abhisit Vejjajiva publicly acknowledged his dual nationality for the first time during a debate in Parliament yesterday.
Mr Abhisit automatically holds British citizenship because he was born in Newcastle to parents from a well-to-do Bangkok family. He would have to specifically renounce it to lose it.
The 46-year-old, who has previously expressed his support for Newcastle United, told the Thai assembly: ââ¬ËI was born in England but I consider myself a Thai.ââ¬â¢
But admitting to being a Geordie, let alone a Toon fan, seemed unlikely to placate his political enemies who seized on his admission yesterday.
They claimed that, as a British citizen, he can be sued in the International Criminal Court over alleged abuses during the anti-government Red Shirt protests last year.
Opponents like to mock Mr Abhisit for his upper-class Oxford University education, and typically refer to him in speeches by his English name, Mark.
In response to an opposition MPââ¬â¢s question, he said: ââ¬ËI admit I have not given up British nationality because it is understood legally that... if the nationality laws are conflicting, Thai law must be used.
ââ¬ËI studied in England but I intended to return to work and live in Thailand, to work for the countryââ¬â¢s interest.ââ¬â¢
Mr Abhisit had been evasive about the citizenship question since it was raised last month. The matter became an issue through a point of law raised by a lawyer for former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, Mr Abhisitââ¬â¢s political enemy.
